Why a book on the psychology of needs? Hasn’t everything there was to say about human needs already been said?
And why call it “Psychology of Needs”, since it is a book on psychology and philosophy about life and human nature in the broadest sense?
These are some of the questions that potential readers of this book might ask themselves, as well as wondering if today we can still say something new about human nature, and conceive original ideas on how to “suffer less and enjoy more”, as promised by the subtitle of the book.
This work is the result of the personal research of a self-taught man who, with a critical spirit and the intention of going beyond the academic boundaries in which the humanities are still organized, wanted to summarize in an open book his vision of life and human nature, which he arrived at after years of studies and experiments, some of which he conducted using methods and computer tools designed and implemented by himself.
The originality of the “Psychology of Needs” consists above all in having connected concepts coming from various theories and disciplines, placing man, his needs, his emotions, and his problems as a focal point. The “sentimental pragmatism” of the Author is a systemic approach that never loses sight of the existential goal of diminishing our suffering and increasing our ability to enjoy life and social relationships.
The purpose of this book is not the profit, nor the intention to “take the chair”, but the desire and the pleasure to share the author’s reflections, to stimulate the comparison of ideas and to start a dialogue with readers for mutual enrichment. In this sense, this work is also an exhortation to be open-minded, to question oneself, and to adapt to the changes in mindset required by wisdom, which for the Author coincides with the ability to satisfy one’s own and others’ needs in a sustainable way.
Claudia Muccinelli (doctor of psychology)
Next chapter: Introduction